Shades of Malice
by Iliya Moroumetz
Summary: No matter how brilliant a source of light may be, there is always a shadow lurking beneath the surface.


Shades of Malice 

Oh! My Goddess fic work of fanfiction.

The characters belong to Kosuke Fujishima, Dark Horse, and so forth. No money is being made off of this... as if I had enough confidence in my limited writing skills to think that I could make a living off of writing.

-

A crash reverberated in an apartment as its single occupant staggered this way and that with no coordination. Whatever semblance of order the rooms had was no longer there as their owner rampaged through her belongings like a desperate thief.

Her breathing was erratic and unstable as she jumped up from her shelves and walked backwards into the wall. Collapsing onto the floor, she rolled forward with no destination in mind. Yet, the rolling eventually stopped as she came to a pile of clothing that was so carelessly scattered a few days before.

The young woman's eyes stung harshly, making sight difficult as she tried to get her bearings. Everything seemed so clear a while ago, but now it was all nonsense. Worse, she did not know why it didn't make sense.

It all seemed so distorted and foggy to the young woman as she tried to stand, but felt her legs lose their strength momentarily, keeping her on the ground. As her head wavered from one direction to another, her eyes slowly came upon something that seemed would help.

Imitating an insect, she crawled over to the disconnected phone, but her connections to reality had left her to the point where memory would not help her.

Grabbing the base of the phone, she shook it violently, repeating a single phrase over and over as though she were speaking to someone in person.

"Help me!"

-

The busy signal on the receiver continued to beep as Belldandy waited in vain for the other end to pick up the phone. One unanswered call by itself would not have bothered her, but several others made the previous week did. All she wanted to do was speak with Megumi.

With a sigh of resignation, she hung up the phone. Her hand remained upon the receiver as she wondered how Megumi was doing. Though Keiichi had assured her the other day that Megumi was fine, the goddess had her doubts.

The Morisato siblings often kept in touch and for one to be silent for as long as Megumi had been worried Belldandy. In addition, there were other pressing matters that needed to be attended to as soon as possible that involved Megumi.

From what the goddess could recall, there had been nothing that she, Keiichi, or her sisters could have done that would have made Megumi shun them. Even if there was something, she was not the type to hold a grudge for very long. It only made the goddess believe that something was very wrong.

All of a sudden, her left ear started to burn. In addition, the powers she commanded also sensed a stirring of energies that gave her pause. She winced and held her hand to the ear, hoping the pain would cease. The pain was not so great that she had to yelp, but it was strong enough to distract her. The energies that swirled through her consciousness also made concentration difficult. The disturbances soon vanished as soon as they appeared.

She knew what it was and what it meant, however, it made the goddess wonder if it had something to do with Megumi. And if it was true, then steps had to be taken immediately.

Some would say that the burning was more like a premonition in the present that she could still intervene in. It would not have been the first time.

She turned walked into the living room where Skuld was looking over a schematic and Urd was watching a television show. Oblivious to the situation at hand, she moved quickly to the entryway, announcing to the others, "I am going out for a while. I believe there's still some leftovers in the refrigerator if I'm not back before nightfall."

Looking up from her plans, she stood up and followed her sister to the genkan. "What's wrong?"

Turning back to her younger sister, Belldandy answered as she got into her shoes. "I don't know. That's what I need to find out. Megumi may be in trouble."

Blinking, Skuld was ready to join her sister, but a hand from Belldandy stopped her in her tracks. "No, I can handle this myself. What you and Urd need to do is not let Keiichi know for the time being. Just tell him that I went out for a while and not to worry. I'll tell him everything when I return."

Urd, who had overheard the conversation stepped into the hallway, "It's not just that though, is it?"

Both the younger goddesses turned to the eldest. Urd knew what she was talking about and though Skuld did not, Belldandy nodded solemnly.  
Crossing her arms, Urd continued. "If you have to do this alone, I understand. I'll cover things from here. And be careful."

Belldandy's smile had an appreciative air about it as she nodded again and turned to the door to leave Skuld asking Urd what she meant.

Speeding down the steps, she was about to turn onto the road before nearly colliding with Keiichi, on his way home from classes. "Oh, Belldandy, what's the hurry?"

Were it not for the many years of self-control Belldandy had built up, she would have openly paled.

She smiled pleasantly, though a bit too surprised for her own comfort. "Oh, I just need to hurry over to your sister's apartment. She needs my help."

"Ah, good. You were able to get in touch with her. What does she need help with?"

She placed her hand on his shoulder to settle his curiosity, "Something that only I can help her with. I will tell you all about it when I return."

Though still a bit confused, he figured that trying to get the whole story at the present time would be a moot point. So, he smiled and gave the hand she had on his shoulder an affectionate squeeze before heading up the stairs.

As she left sight of Keiichi's home, the smile upon her face slowly dissolved.

She had just lied to the one she loved most.

Though it was not a direct lie, she had simply withheld information concerning Megumi that Keiichi would have worried needlessly over. Regardless, it was a lie of omission.

Belldandy knew that Megumi was under Mara's control several months ago. Coerced into being a disguise for the demon, Megumi was one of the few humans to experience true demonic possession. Mara had used her fear and doubt as a waypoint to enter and control.

Though Mara was indeed exorcised properly, there was a pressing matter of a follow-up visit to ensure no corruption had occurred due to the possession. If not treated properly, it could fester into a 'spiritual abscess' that could practically destroy Megumi's mind and heart, along with the body.

Megumi was not the only one, Keiichi was possessed by the Lord of Terror a short while before Megumi's encounter, but he had long since been checked for any sort of post possession corruption. However, the event was not a happy memory for her.

---

Temptation.

Belldandy had never felt it in such raw, pure form before. Even at her worst, Mara had never been able to come near what the goddess now felt, and she had come the closest.

Yet Belldandy was quite certain that no demon was the ultimate source of what troubled her. Certainly, there were the remnant strands of the Lord of Terror she now faced in Keiichi's soul, but they were almost dormant now, unable to do much more than give Keiichi an occasional nightmare. While they would have to be removed, and soon, they could no more affect Belldandy than an ant could direct a hurricane.

No, she knew she herself was the source of the near-demonic urges that reverberated in her heart.

Keiichi trusted her completely, and had opened his soul utterly and explicitly to her every whim. Nothing she now did could arguably be against his will.

Even remaking him into a better lover.

It took little will to recast her vision of his soul to highlight every little fault, every little annoyance she had ever seen in him, and to trace down its cause. That, at least, did not itself implement the changes, just made the prospect easier, more compelling. But the further she got, the more the beast in her heart hungered to go the rest of the way, to impose her will on him, to reject the Keiichi that was and instead build up an idol, a puppet of her projections of...

"YAAAAAH!" Belldandy pushed herself away from Keiichi, sailing across the room from the reaction and crumpling into a shivering heap when she landed.

"Belldandy?" Skuld blinked. "Whoa, this must be bad! Hold on, Keiichi, I'll-"

Urd put her arm in Skuld's way. "Wait. Hey, Bell, what'd you see in there?"

Belldandy did not dare look at any of them, though her disgusted sobs at what she had seen in herself, and at the utter wrongness of what she had almost done to Keiichi, were audible to all.

---

Her sisters and Keiichi had taken it in stride, Urd had completed the procedure, and life had gone on as it did. Yet, the temptation Belldandy felt at the time still bothered her.

Now, the possibility that Megumi was in trouble urged her to move even faster. If the lack of communication wasn't proof enough, the stirring of pain within Belldandy only confirmed it.

Turning to a garbage heap, she noticed a cracked mirror among the debris and the mark on her forehead expanded and glowed with an intensity that rivaled the luster of the mid day sun. With a running start, she leaped into the air and into the mirror, sending her through the ethereal byways of her mode of transportation.

-

The thunder boomed in the sky as Belldandy finally reached the apartment building that Megumi resided in. Emerging from the bathroom mirror, the goddess found the uppermost portion of it shattered and it pieces scattered in the sink and tub.

Nearly crashing through the bathroom door, Belldandy found her suspicions confirmed. Clothes, papers, and other odds and ends were strewn everywhere. Worse yet, Megumi was nowhere to be seen, but the draft she felt rushing through the apartment made her divine blood run cold.

She dashed through the apartment to the kitchen to see Megumi lying in a pool of her own blood. Her legs and arms were bleeding from multiple gashes made by a sharp kitchen knife that had fallen from Megumi's hand.

"Megumi!" the goddess cried in shock and dashed to the younger Morisato's side. By the looks of it, the cuts had only been opened recently, yet Megumi's chances of survival were still uncertain. Carrying the unconscious mortal as gently as she could, Belldandy took Megumi to her room and set her down on a patch of floor that wasn't covered in debris.

Taking a wrist, she placed her palm in front of the cut and began to whisper in the archaic language of the gods, commanding the skin and sinew to repair itself. Within seconds, the damaged skin and muscle tissue reformed in its previous state.

She repeated the procedure for the rest of the wounds and sat by the inert mortal as the rain poured against the window. One wound after another closed at the touch of the goddess' hand and with every gash, Belldandy noticed that the farther she went down, the less severe the wounds were. It led her to assume that as the self-injury went further, Megumi's strength waned by the loss of blood.

With a sigh of exhaustion, Belldandy placed Megumi's hand at her side and sat on a cushion beside the mortal's head. With a sad countenance on her face, the goddess leaned over and smoothed the student's hair. "Poor dear..."

With a glance, Belldandy could tell that Megumi's condition was much worse than she initially thought. She silently berated herself for not seeing this sooner. No one deserved to suffer like this.

If she was to help Megumi, she had to be conscious and coherent, but her mental condition was precarious. However, what she could do was stabilize Megumi's mind for long enough to accomplish her goal.

With her hands on Megumi's forehead, the goddess whispered several more words as a soft blue light emerged from her palms and into the mortal woman's head. The spell Belldandy applied was a temporary answer if nothing else. It would connect the primary functions of cognition and speech and hearing long enough for the goddess to fix everything else properly.

Removing her hands from Megumi's head, the goddess sat back and waited patiently as the younger Morisato's eyes fluttered opened slowly. She attempted to look around, but she winced as though a nerve was pinched.

"I... I can barely feel anything... what's going on?"

"Much of your mind and body has been through a tremendous strain. You've also lost much blood and need to recover."

Megumi's eyes were wavering, doing her best to remain conscious, "Why does my whole body hurt?"

"Aside from the damage you did to yourself, there's a disease in your system that needs to be taken care of."

The mortal girl's eyes opened more and her head slowly turned to her guest despite the pain. "Belldandy... are you a doctor?"

Belldandy shook her head and stood up, keeping herself well in the younger Morisato's sight. "Megumi, there has been something I have been hiding from you since we first met."

Belldandy then raised her head to the heavens and once more, the mark on her forehead expanded. A sphere of light enveloped Belldandy and as soon as the sphere formed, it erupted. Her old clothes were gone and in their place were the same blue and gold trimmed dress she wore when she appeared to Keiichi. She looked down from the heavens and into Megumi's eyes.

Without letting her lips move, the goddess spoke to the mortal's mind, "Megumi... I am a goddess of fate. Belldandy of the present."

The young woman looked around for the source of the voice she heard in her head. Until a peculiar realization made her realize that Belldandy was the one who had spoke.

In addition, the goddess was now slightly hovering over the ground, her feet barely dangling over the surface of the tatami.

Though Megumi was surprised, it was mild when in comparison to Belldandy's introduction to Keiichi's dorm room. Curiously, the younger Morisato pushed herself up, wincing on occasion, and waved her hand beneath her feet to make sure that it was not some sort of sick joke the other tenants were playing on her.

"I'm missing something, but I don't know what. But, you don't lie, I... I'm not even sure," Megumi said, scratching her head.

The goddess smiled pleasantly. "It was a bit of a shock to your brother as well. However, he too believed my words in time."

"Well, as neat as it all sounds, where did it all start? I'm still a bit confused."

Belldandy nodded, expecting her questions. "There is a way how I can show you everything much more easily than words can. However..." she turned away slightly before gathering the courage to continue, "You must allow me to 'share' your body temporarily."

Megumi blinked several times, more confused than shocked.

"Do you remember a woman with white hair and a pair of marks on her forehead?"

Megumi nodded, the memory of that woman appearing out of the smoke and speaking some odd language and practically assaulting her was not something she forgot easily. Though what she did was not entirely clear, for after the woman attacked, she passed out and found herself waking up at the racetrack. From time to time, she wondered if she had sleepwalked there and never knew it.

"The woman was a demon that possessed you. I believe that it has left an infection in your mind or soul and it must be repaired. What I intend to do is along those same lines, however with this one important difference. The other woman used your fear to control you. I, on the other hand, must be allowed in before I can do anything. You have to trust me to allow my entry."

The goddess knelt down on the floor and patiently awaited Megumi's decision.

Upon knowing what the other woman had done, Megumi felt rather apprehensive about letting it happen again. Though the concept was far beyond anything she had ever heard of before, the way Belldandy talked about it made her words true.

The recent events had made life tough enough, besides, what was one more ordeal to endure to Megumi. She nodded and whispered, "Go ahead."

The goddess crawled once more over to Megumi and placed her forehead against the younger Morisato's. The central mark on Belldandy's forehead glowed once more and in a flash of blinding light, she was gone, leaving Megumi alone and unconscious with the blue marks that Belldandy had on her face.

-

Drifting through the various layers of Megumi's psyche and soul, Belldandy began a thorough check to ensure that the infection was found. The goddess could tell it was close... but time had allowed the infection to integrate itself in the system so that it would be much harder to find.

Angered for letting her friend suffer so, she descended several more layers without finding a thing. However, it did not surprise Belldandy that a standard search would not lead to anything, considering that Mara was quite notorious for keeping her corruption well hidden.  
Yet, no matter how well the demoness hid her tracks, she would be more than able to find them.

Soon enough, she noticed the first signs of decay of Megumi's reason. The way the strands were arranged almost made them unnoticeable by the untrained eye, but Belldandy's were too good to be fooled. Even at this level of expertise, no one could hide anything like this from her.  
Though externally, the signs of decay were quite minimal, but upon closer observation, the core of the reason processors was heavily damaged. That, in part, explained the self-injuries with the knife, but the goddess figured it was more of a final resort security protocol that took over when Megumi's subconscious realized that someone else was trying to take over.

The signs were woven into a pattern that started its way deeper and deeper into the heart. As more layers were passed, the goddess frowned upon seeing the corruptions getting progressively worse.

The further she got, the more worried she became. There could be a greater corruption in the core, waiting for any sort of healing agent to stop it. It could block pleasant memories, choke happiness, and literally starve the soul of its much-needed nourishment.

Blinking, the goddess discovered that barriers were being erected, as she got closer to the core. Belldandy's presence was known. However, it would take more than a few mental barriers to stop her.

With a wave of her hand, the goddess easily dispersed the walls and with a small frown, discovered her suspicions confirmed.

In a large sphere of diminishing light, stood a semi-ethereal apparition of Mara on what looked like a marble colored floor in the center of the sphere.

Attached to the apparition's foot, a trail of ethereal matter floated outward and towards what appeared to be Megumi's core.

The core Megumi was suspended in a state of melancholy inertia, being drained of her life and personality and would inevitably be replaced by Mara. The form of the core, though still human-shaped, had various chunks of matter missing. By the looks of things, she still seemed to move as though she were whole.

The core turned slowly to Belldandy with a look of numb indifference and then turned away. It appeared that the psyche was never the target in the first place, but instead the infection had latched itself to the core.

With a neutral gaze, Belldandy hovered several meters from where Mara stood.

The demon's locked sneer made the atmosphere much colder as Belldandy spoke calmly. "It does not surprise me to see you doing this to her."

Not changing her stance a bit, Mara snorted. "I have my own right. Got to survive somehow."

Belldandy remained neutral as her retort brought forth the truth. "The right to commit spiritual murder, you mean. What makes it even worse is that your creator is not even around to give you proper substance to leave Megumi be."

Mara blinked in surprise, she was certain that she could pass for the original. It didn't matter though, even if she couldn't fool Belldandy of all people.

"I have known Mara to commit to horrid things to torment the world of men, but I cannot deny that this is a new low, even for her."

"Ha! As if my 'master' had the brainpower to even try doing something like this. No, I'm going to show that bitch that she can't just dump me off like some piece of garbage."

Belldandy's lips formed into a straight line as she replied, "I would prefer you leave Megumi out of your personal vendetta. She is innocent and has done nothing to deserve this."

"News flash, lap dog, she wouldn't have been the first. Countless people get used, abused, and killed for things they never deserved in the first place. It doesn't make her any different from the faceless masses."

A small frown formed on the goddess's lips as she countered. "That is where you are wrong. By fate's decree, she was never meant to suffer like this. So, I am willing to come to an agreement, which will leave us both satisfied. I doubt you would receive such an offer from most others of my kind."

"No deal! My master never trusted your kind and I don't dare since you consider me less than she is."

The goddess's eyes narrowed dangerously. There would be no turning back after this. "I will not ask again. Leave Megumi in peace."

The demon's shadow started laughing. It developed into a riotous guffaw that echoed throughout the void. "You?! Threaten someone?! That'll be the day!"

The goddess remained quiet and closed her eyes. It appeared that the shadow would never listen to words. Then again, demons hardly ever did. With a sigh, the goddess knew that there was no alternative anymore.  
"Do you now?" Belldandy said casually.

"Oh, is the puppy going to bite me?" the shadow sneered again.

The goddess opened her eyes and locked them onto the demon's. "You claim to know me. I would imagine you coming to that conclusion, considering how I behave regularly."

The goddess's voice remained as calm as when she started when she waved her hand across her left ear, causing an obsidian colored earring to appear. "What you have seen is who I am. However, it is not all of me. In fact, when compared to all that I am," an unexpected edge appeared in her voice, "you know nothing!"

The demon's gaze remained locked on that obsidian earring, quicker and quicker its ethereal heart beat as Belldandy reached for it. It knew the white one, the seal that kept the goddess's powers in check, yet this one was a complete and total unknown.

It could be anything.

Then again, the concept of gods sealing up their worse halves, releasing them periodically to satisfy their darker appetites, was not a new one.

Could it be that the immaculate Belldandy had such a nature?

It could not be possible... could it?

The goddess reached up with her left hand and clasped the earring gently, ready to remove it. Seeing her reach for the earring made the shadow reach forward and screamed upon impulse.

"Wait! I'm convinced! I'll let the girl go! I'll do whatever you say! ANYTHING!"

All time stopped as Belldandy's eyes and voice turned cold. "You have made your choice... all choices have consequences... and now, you must face the consequences of your choice!"

In one instant, Mara's shadow saw Belldandy remove the earring and drop it...

In a second instant, she saw the earring fall to the floor and shatter...

In a final instant, the demon saw what Belldandy had become and screamed in horror as its oblivion took form.

-

As the last of the shadow was obliterated, Belldandy could feel no pity for the remnant of the demon. The hand of mercy had been extended and refused. Maybe it was the releasing of the obsidian ring had blocked any sort of compassion.

She began to weave her hands in a circular motion to reset the seal, when a powerful voice screamed suddenly, "NO!"

With the seal interrupted, she clutched her sides as though she were being torn apart from inside. There was always a good reason why things like this were sealed. They had a nasty tendency to remain unsealed and a reluctance to return to their dormant state.

"I WILL NOT BE CHAINED AGAIN!" the voice boomed.

Despite the pain, Belldandy resumed the sealing and several rings gathered around her body to limit the power of the creature she had released.

"I AM NOT YOUR SLAVE!" The seals around her were shaking and wavering from the power of the being disrupted, but Belldandy would not allow them to vanish. With a tone of finality, she screamed into the ether, "You will submit!"

"NEVER!" It roared back and increased the disruption of the seals, but it was too late. The circles flattened into two dimensional patterns and shrunk to recreate the obsidian earring.

Even at this late in the sealing, the being continued to fight and was on the verge of tearing Belldandy apart as she began to apply the piece of jewelery. Screaming in agony only divinity would know, Belldandy rolled around on the ground and to her feet, struggling to place the earring back on.

Several streams of pale light along with a piercing hissing sound, which came from the earring, filled the air as the last clasp was closed.

The goddess gasped for air as she fell to her knees once more and held her head to keep down the pounding headache she now experienced.  
It was never pleasant to go through such an ordeal, but it could not be helped.

However, now that the source of the corruption was gone, the healing and repairs could begin. The only thing that stood in her way now was the fact that the core was nowhere to be seen.

With sweat pouring off her brow, the goddess struggled to remain conscious before she collapsed and fell silent. The exertion of unsealing and resealing the obsidian earring had taken a much higher toll than she expected.  
-

The goddess' eyes opened slowly as the void she saw at first was no more. Instead, a scene of a spacious and grassy field filled her vision as she pushed herself to her feet. As far as the eye could see, she saw nothing but grass, the occasional rock, and a cloudy sky above.

"The healing has started..." she whispered in relief at the scene before her. The place she was in now could be best described as a figurative representation for Megumi. Since every mortal was different, everything around could represent some sort of random or evident influence in her life.

Shaking her head, Belldandy returned to the task at hand. Sensing the core of the younger Morisato nearby, she waded through the knee length grass until she reached one of the larger rocks.

"Megumi! Where are you?" the goddess called, but no answer came. Walking around, she came to find the core Megumi sitting alone on the top, staring at the sky.

The core, though still damaged by Mara's corruption, appeared to be reassembling at a very slow rate. The core turned to the goddess slowly and smiled tiredly. "Hello... Belldandy..."

Sitting by the core, Belldandy replied, "Do not speak. Your core can recover faster that way. Besides, I need to tell you everything from the beginning. It is your turn to know, after all."

The core Megumi listened intently as Belldandy slowly reiterated the story of how she met Keiichi while he lived at the men's dorm. Then came their moving into the temple and Belldandy's sisters' inevitable trailing, then the bug crisis, and, finally, when Belldandy reached the point where her brother was nearly lost because of the recall order, Megumi could not help but feel proud of him. Not every guy had a chance to try and defy a decree from the heavens to simply give the girl he loved a ring.

Belldandy tried to be as clear as she could when all the other unusual events that occurred since her arrival on Earth from the Earth Spirit in her apartment to the multiple encounters with Mara.

When at last, Belldandy had reached the end of her recollections Megumi whispered a thank you. The core seemed tired, but relieved at not only being released from Mara, but also honored that Belldandy would tell her so much.

Belldandy then reached over and took the core's hand and whispered several words in the language of the heavens, causing the mark on her forehead to expand once more and glow.

"Almost done..." she whispered before her form began to distort and glow to a blinding radiance. Her figure started to disintegrate into countless ethereal particles that gathered into Megumi's core.

-

Rubbing her head, Megumi mumbled and sat up. For a reason she couldn't put a name to, she felt... focused, unlike before where everything seemed vague and distorted. Looking about her apartment, she noticed that most of the debris she scattered about was cleaned up and the sound of running water came from the kitchen.

Standing, she stumbled a bit, remembering all too well of the ordeal she had just been through. She realized that she never got a chance to thank Belldandy in person for what she did. Using the wall, she moved slowly to the kitchen to find the woman in question cleaning the last few dishes Megumi had failed to take care of herself. She also appeared to be in the same clothes that she had initially arrived in.

"You're awake."

"How long was I out?"

"About two hours. It took me half that time to be able to repair the damage. Then I had to rescan and defragment all the loose sectors. It was standard procedure, if nothing else."

Blinking, Megumi looked to her and then maneuvered herself into a chair. "Really?"

Turning from the sink, the goddess nodded and turned off the water. "I do not suppose that I need to explain everything again."

The younger Morisato shook her head. "No, I still remember pretty clearly what happened. Though it's still kind of hard to take in at first."

The goddess smiled pleasantly. "Take your time. Not everyone learns how to believe in an instant."

"Thanks. But, I'm kind of surprised that you'd trust me with information like this," she said, referring to the fact that Belldandy and her sisters were goddesses.

The goddess nodded and placed a cup of warm tea on the counter for Megumi to take. "I would never have told you if I did not believe you worthy of that knowledge."

Though appreciative, there was still something that tugged at the back of Megumi's memory when Belldandy had encountered the shadow.

"I wasn't sure exactly what happened that made the shadow go away, but what I do remember was seeing the obsidian earring. What was..." the younger Morisato asked hesitantly. When Belldandy stood still, Megumi figured it would be best if she let it go. "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

The goddess shook her head. "No. It is well that you did. However, forgive me for acting selfish, but I would prefer that to be left alone."

Though Megumi would honor her request, it would continue to bother her from time to time as to what exactly it was. Yet, considering the kind of person Belldandy was, it'd be much wiser to let sleeping dogs lie.

-

Walking back home, the goddess went over the events in her mind repeatedly. A single question continued to repeat itself in the back of her mind when she confronted the shadow.

Was it really necessary to let her out?

Worse yet, the sealing was much more difficult than the time before. Belldandy was fortunate enough to be able to contain the situation now, but it would be getting trickier as time went on on.

Reaching the bottom of the steps, the goddess sighed in relief as she felt this whole ordeal was behind her. She was stepping up the first step when she felt something call her back. Walking down the street, she noticed the convex mirror at the street corner. For no reason she could discern, she reached up to the smooth surface of the mirror and placed her fingertips against it.

Her reflection in the mirror mimicked her actions perfectly. Until the reflection's face suddenly developed a hideous snarl on her face and hissed, "I WILL ESCAPE!"

She gasped, hopped back, and whirled around to see if the being was out. All she found was the shadows on the street and nothing more.

The End

1/06/05 Update notes:

After finally pinning down ideas for the fic after this one, I figured it was time to go over this one another time. Though I do like the additions in the 'core', I still can't help but feel there was something else I could have added for the story as a whole. Try as I may, nothing. What do you folks at home think?

Original Notes:  
Special thanks goes to:

DB Sommer: for surviving the first draft and yet still giving an approving critique.

Gary Kleppe: for helping with more of the grammatical aspect and giving pointers for the story.

Nidoking: For helping me get that piece of humble pie down my throat.

Adrian Thymes: for the flashback scene where Belldandy is tempted.

Chan Wei Lik: For also tackling the awful first draft.

Whoever said that 2/3s of your first draft often ends up getting changed up or cut spoke true. I can hardly recognize that first draft that I made... whoa.

Well, you can pretty much guess my stance on Belldandy as a character. Sweet, affectionate, perfect, and downright boring! So, of course, it's up to losers like me who believe that Belldandy harbors some deep, dark, and dangerous secret that can ruin her image. And yes, I plan on continuing this story idea someday. When exactly, I don't know, but I will continue it.


End file.
